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BIZBITE

Draft Beer Line Cleaning

Bars forget the lines until foam starts eating margin

Bottom line

Accessible entry point; validate local supply before buying.

Draft beer line cleaning routes service bars, restaurants, breweries, stadiums, hotels, and event venues by cleaning tap lines, faucets, couplers, regulators, and long-draw systems. The revenue is beautifully boring: beer quality standards push recurring cleaning, and operators lose money fast when dirty lines cause foam, off-flavors, wasted pours, or health-code problems.

Acquisition score
Margin · multiple · SBA data
64Strong
Avg revenue
$380K/yr
$100K–$1.6M range
Profit margin
34%
~$129K SDE
Multiple
2–4.8×
of SDE
Est. buy price
$258K–$620K
startup: $12K–$85K

How It Works

Technicians run scheduled routes, flush lines with cleaning chemicals, disassemble and brush faucets, check gas pressure, diagnose foaming, replace worn parts, and document service. Revenue comes from per-line cleaning contracts, emergency troubleshooting, parts markup, system balancing, and draft system installs or upgrades.

BizBite verdict

Watch / verify

Draft Beer Line Cleaning has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

64Strong
low data confidence · 40/100medium financing fit

Why it may work

  • +Attractive 34% estimated margin profile

Be careful

  • !Source link status has not been verified yet
  • !No last-checked date yet
  • !No SBA category enrichment yet
  • !No category operating model yet
  • !Low data confidence

Deal Calculator

Priced off $129K SDE — can this deal service its own debt?

2.22×
DSCR · Lender-comfortable
Purchase multiple — 3.1× SDE ($400K)
Category range: 2×–4.8× SDE
Down payment — 10% ($40K)
SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership
Interest rate — 10.50%
Typical SBA 7(a) range: 9.5–12% (prime-based)
Loan term — 10 years
Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition
Purchase price
$400K
3.1× of $129K SDE
Cash to close
$52K
$40K down + ~3% closing
Debt service
$5K/mo
$58K/yr on $360K loan
Cash-on-cash
136%
cash back in ~9 mo
Debt service coverage · what the lender sees
2.22×+$6K/mo after debt
Most SBA lenders want ≥1.25× coverage; 1.5×+ is a strong file.

SDE = revenue × margin estimate for this niche; it includes owner compensation, so budget your salary out of cash flow. Excludes working-capital injection, capex reserves, and taxes. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower.

Pros

  • +Recurring route cadence creates predictable work
  • +Clear ROI because foam and bad beer waste inventory
  • +Low startup cost versus most trades
  • +Upsells include parts, regulators, glycol checks, and install work

Cons

  • -Night or early-morning access is common
  • -Restaurants churn and delay payment
  • -Chemical handling and beer-system know-how matter

Best For

Route operators who can sell reliability to bars, breweries, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues

Operating Costs

Costs include cleaning pumps, chemical, faucet tools, replacement parts, vehicles, insurance, scheduling software, and technician labor. Route density and recurring contracts drive margins.

Where to Buy

Brewers Association - Draught Beer Quality Manual

Industry manual for draught installers, retailers, wholesalers, brewers, and line-cleaning standards

Micro Matic - Beer Line Cleaning ROI

Explains the revenue payoff from proper draft beer line cleaning and service

BizBuySell - Route Businesses

Marketplace for recurring route-service acquisition comps

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Buy a draft beer line cleaning
via Brewers Association - Draught Beer Quality Manual
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